The Truth
by EzriaFreak
Summary: Ezra wants to know the truth of why Aria broke up with him. However, if he knows about A, he may become a target. What will Aria do? Will she tell him the truth, or make up a story?
1. Chapter 1

"Are you sure you're okay?" Spencer Hastings asked her best friend, Aria Montgomery, at lunch. They were disusing Aria's break-up with Ezra Fitz, her new English teacher.

Aria looked down at her cafeteria food and nodded ever so slightly. She hoped that her weak smile would convince hr friends that she was okay, but it didn't. Emily, Hanna, and Spencer all knew that Aria was lying.

"You know that you don't have to act okay around us, right?" Emily pushed. "We're here for you, just like you're here for us."

"And," Hanna pointed out, "You were with Ezra for over a year. There is no way you are okay with your break-up."

aria did not raise her face. She continued gazing down. With her right hand, she picked at her food. From the corner of her eye, Aria could see her friends staring at her. They were all silent, waiting for Aria to speak, but she couldn't. She was not ready to talk about her and Ezra's break-up.

The girls sat in an awkward silence for about two minutes. They heard the sound of footsteps behind them, but none of them bothered to look up. Maybe if one of them had, they would have realized that Ezra was passing by. They would have noticed that Ezra had not fully walked by, but was listening to their conversation. Yet, they didn't look up, and remained silent until Aria cracked.

"You're right," Aria finally whispered. Her voice was so low it was barely audible. "I'm not over him." She wiped a tear from her eye. "I don't think I will ever get over him."

Spencer, Hanna, and Emily exchanged nervous glances. They were scared that they would say something wrong.

"But," Emily said, "It was for the best."

"I guess," Aria sighed. "But I feel bad for him. He will never know the real reason I broke up with him."

"What did you tell him?" Hanna asked.

"That he needed money to raise his son. He needed a job. And, I said that nothing about us felt right anymore – you know, with Malcolm in the picture and all. And I guess that that is the truth in a way. Well, its more like part of the truth. I didn't tell him the full reason."

"And you can't tell him it was to keep him safe?" Spencer asked.

"No. It would make him ask, 'safe from what?' Then what would I say?"

"You could tell him the truth," Emily suggested.

"That would put him in danger," Aria replied. "A would hurt him."

They all remained silent. As they did, Ezra slowly crept away from the lunch table which Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria sat at. He was confused. What did Aria mean when she said that he wouldn't be safe if he knew the truth? And what was the truth anyway?

As Ezra headed to his English classroom, he decided to be honest. He would ask Aria what she was talking about. After all, Aria did hate it when Ezra lied to her. So, it would be best to be honest.

Ezra reached his English classroom and began writing on the chalkboard. Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna entered just as the bell rang. Ezra decided that it would be best to approach Aria after class. He taught his lesson the best he could, but it was not his finest class. His thoughts were somewhere else, thinking about the conversation he had overheard at lunch.

Just as the bell rang, signifying the end of English class, the Pretty Little Liars all pounced out of their seats. But, before they exited the door, Ezra called them back into the classroom.

"Uh, Ms. Montgomery, could I speak to you, please?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Uh, Ms. Montgomery, could I speak to you, please?"

Aria, who was already partly out of the door, spun around. She stared at Ezra for a moment before nodding. "Sure."

Ezra smiled his boyish smile that Aria loved then added, "Actually, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily, could also stay?"

The girls exchanged nervous glances. They were not sure why Ezra wanted to talk to them. Especially as a group.

Finally, Hanna nodded. Once the last person had exited the classroom, Spencer shut the door closed. Next, they migrated to Ezra's desk, where Aria and Emily already stood. The five people stayed silent for a minutes as Ezra stared at Aria. Aria stared back.

Finally, Hanna broke the silence. "You asked to speak to us, Fitzy."

"Look," Ezra started, "It's not something I do, but I was walking past your lunch table today when I heard one of you mention my name."

Aria turned pale.

"Do you understand how dangerous that is? If somebody heard-"

"If somebody heard us," Spencer interrupted, "We could say that we were talking about somebody else named Ezra."

"Calling you Ezra is better than calling you Mr. Fitz," Hanna added.

Ezra sighed. "You're right," he admitted. "But, that's not all I heard. It wasn't my business to listen to your conversation, but since you said my name, I was intrigued."

Ezra turned his gaze to the girls. All of them turned pale, and Aria was staring at her feet. They all knew what was coming next.

Ezra took a breath before continuing. "Look, I heard you say that Aria," he stopped for a second, "broke up with me because I wasn't safe. You said that you didn't tell me the real reason that you broke my heart." Aria looked up and Ezra stared right into her hazel eyes. "What is the real reason?"

"We can't tell you," Aria whispered.

"I'm a grown man," Ezra said, "I can protect myself."

"No you can't," Aria protested. "The reason is connected to something else that is huge. Its a secret way too big. If you know, you may end up like Ali, Maya, Garrett, or Nate. But, if you're lucky, you'll only turn out like Jenna. She was blind, but at least she's alive."

Ezra paled. "Nothing has happened to you four."

Aria laughed. "If only you knew." she turned around and walked towards the window, exposing her face to the sunlight.

"We've all been tortured in other ways," Emily explained.

"We should be dead by now," Spencer added, "but then the game would be over."

"So here we are," Hanna finished. "Alive."

Aria turned around and looked into Ezra's eyes. "If it was safe to tell you, I would have. A long time ago. But, it's not safe. I've been protecting you."

Ezra was confused. "Then tell the police. They can help you."

Hanna laughed. "The police doesn't trust us, remember? We were found with Ali's murder weapon. They think we killed our best friend."

"And they think we made up stories about Ian in the bell tower," Spencer added.

"Some of the people that are torturing us were the police."

"I thought A was Mona," Ezra said. He was trying to understand the girls.

"Yam she was," Aria sighed. "But life isn't that easy. There are more A's."

"An A Team," Emily added.

"And now we've officially said too much," Spencer announced as she headed towards the classroom door.

The girls nodded and followed Spencer into the hallway. None of them bothered to take one last look at Ezra, who sat at his desk in awe. He couldn't believe his ears.


End file.
